In an age where manipulation by media is increasingly becoming the norm, the Bangladesh based Daily Star has time and again taken lead to raise the bar a bit higher. The latest from the Yellow Star includes featuring an article entitled “Five birth dates of Khaleda Zia”, where it details its ‘startling’ discovery of 5 birth dates for BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

This writeup is not intended to digress into the manipulative contents of that report, but to expose the blatantly shameless attempt by the Daily Star to smear the personality in question. This was done by putting forward photoshopped images of two of Khaleda Zia’s passports.

Although no disclaimer for the images has been mentioned, the report says the images ‘were floating’ on social media. The very fact that the full report was based on the content of the two images is testimony to the fact that the Daily Star, within the framework of its editorial guidelines, believes the images to be significant to the point of being part of fact with regards Khaleda Zia’s birthdate.

Image 1:

Notice that the image posted by the Daily Star has been photoshopped and a red mark has been cleverly put exactly to cover up the ‘1’ in the date of 15. Unlike the unmarked real one, no ‘unmarked copy’ of the fake photoshopped one was available.

Since the earlier passport copy by the Daily Star was proved to be a false flag operation, the photoshopped new passport image automatically comes under doubt. But the real and fake image of the relevant page of the MRP passport are given side by side nonetheless.

Other controversies:

The Daily Star report draws upon other controversies, namely that of an alleged Pakistani ID card of Khaleda Zia (pictured below) which ‘states’ her birthdate to be 19 August, 1946. It’s a shame that the Daily Star draws upon such sources to fuel the controversies regarding the birth date of Khaleda Zia, when it is clearly outlandish to the point of absurdity that a Pakistani ID card would be issued for a three time premier of Bangladesh, with her residence written as “Bangladesh” nonetheless.

Conclusion:

It’s a shame that yellow journalism has stooped to such lowly depths. Daily Star, while purporting to uphold high levels of journalistic excellence, has done the unthinkable, all towards the sleazy end of thoroughly parroting a trashload of impotently presented gobbledygook. Unthinkable is the thought that some people will believe this, as the Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith so eloquently puts it, load of “rubbish”.